THE BEGINNING

Ashley Brooks sat down next to Autumn outside on a school bench. He was lost inside of his mathematics homework. "Autumn." She called lying down her bag on the table. "Hey, sweetheart." Jacob Ray said kissing Ashley on her head, sitting down next to her. "Hey leaves." He joked but Autumn didn't pay attention to him. "I think your brother is broken." He said trying to get Autumn's attention. "He is not broken. He just gets lost in his work sometime or pretends that he does." Ashley grabbed Autumn's book out of his hand as Jacob calls over Xavier. "What did you do that for?" Autumn asks grabbing his book back. Xavier ran over in his football uniform and hand shook greeted Jacob. Autumn immediately made as if he's busy again. "Hey, Brooks." Xavier winked at Ashley. "So are we still on for the weekend? I asked the guys and they said their game. Just had to confirm by you if your mansion is still available." Jacob plays hit against his uniform. "My mansion is available." Xavier laughed glancing over to Autumn. "Then it's settled. We having a party!" Jacob roared. Autumn looked up and caught Xavier's eyes on him. He swiftly lowered his head again. "Bring leaves," Xavier told Jacob and ran off. Autumn watched Xavier as he ran off to his playmates. "Autumn!" Ashley yelled getting his attention. "Xavier invited you to the party. Are you going with us?" Ashley asked as Jacob made begging faces. "I don't know. I still have so much to catch up on." He said as he caught Xavier again looking into his direction. "Leaves, it's only going to be for one night. It's not going to be the end of the world. Besides you need it to loosen up a little. Being stuck behind a book will not teach you life lessons or how great sex feels." Ashley pushed Jacob to stop talking. Autumn watched as they flirtatiously play with each other. "You are going with me to that party. That's the only way mom is gonna allow me to go. So we're going." Ashley said and stood up. Her class was starting in a few minutes and she had to force Jacob to get up. "We'll discuss it at home." She yelled afterward as they walked across the field. Autumn packed up his books and zipped open his backpack. He saw Xavier come running over to him. "No." He repeated scrambled, shoving his books into his bag, and jumped up. He ran ahead and stopped next to a girl. "Can I help you?" She asked as she watched Autumn trying to hide from Xavier. "Sorry I just had to hide from someone." He said. "Behind my huge beautiful curly black American hair?" She stated out. Autumn didn't realize any of that. He tried to apologize but she gave him a death glare. "Next time don't use people to hide from people. Know you're worthy and fight your own battles. Also, walk with me." She locked her arm in Autumn's and dragged him with her. "What's your name?" She asked as Autumn kept looking back to see if Xavier is still following him. "It's Autumn." The girl chuckled and patted his hand. "Your parents did a number on you. I mean to give you a name after a season. That's just child abuse. No authenticity. No creativity. They might as well hide you in a closet and take you out when it's your time of the month." Autumn sighed wondering why he even ran up to her. "But it suits you. Also since you have not asked my name, it is Zia. Zia Williams." Autumn said hi and preferred not to say anything anymore. He didn't like her personality. They walked into the school hall with the crowded students rushing to their classes. "I hate this place so much. I feel like I am being forced every day just to attend the futureless education that they give us. Just makes my balls sweat." Autumn looked at her weirdly but she corrected herself. "I have no balls, Autumn. Was just an expression. Also, balls are way too hangy for me and just expose way too much fragileness. Besides if I had balls I would be more of man than any of these goons running around." Autumn felt Zia holding his arm tighter and tighter. "This is my class." They stopped in front of the biology lab. "It was nice meeting you Autumn." Zia walked inside before Autumn could say anything. "Nice to meet you too." He said to himself and head off to class.

"You guys are home early." Alice Brooks said as she prepared diner. Autumn greeted his mother but Ashley stormed upstairs as usual. "She still doesn't want to talk to you?" Autumn asked getting some juice from the fridge. Alice rinsed off some tomatoes and laid in down on the kitchen table. "She has not talked to me since we found her passed out at one of those rich kids' parties. It's all because of that boy. He has control over her which I do not like." She said starting to cut the tomatoes. "Well Jacob is a cool guy and I don't think he would let her do something against her own will." Autumn sat down at the kitchen table and watched his mother work. A habit he has whenever he comes home from school. Sit down and just talk to her. "Then why did he leave her with all of that devil looking people and ran off." Alice stopped cutting and wiped off her hands. "Devil looking, people?" Autumn laughed. "You need to upgrade your slang language mom." He said. "I just want her to be safe. Soon she will graduate and move as far away as possible from us with that guy most probably. Teenagers think that we territorial with them but they don't understand how it feels having a whole human that you birth, in this type of world. Far away from you. It's terrifying." She said. "Well mom you'll still have us and it's not like anything will happen to us or you for that matter. So appreciate it while we will here. Maybe I'll never move out." Autumn said. Alice walked over to him, embraced him, and kissed him on his forehead. "You will never stay in this house. You will leave and achieve your dreams." Autumn felt comfort in her embrace. "Also I can't deal with the way you eat. So you have to leave." She joked. Autumn and Alice spend hours in the kitchen preparing dinner and having small talk about their day and how it was. Autumn told his mother about the party and she decided it was a good idea for him to go with Ashley. Even though a party is the last thing he wants.

Autumn, Ashley, and Jacob arrived at Xavier's house. There were cars parked everywhere so they had to park across the street. "Geez, there are so many windows," Autumn said as he got out of the car. "If you rich you always need more windows." Jacob laid his arm around Ashley's neck and kissed her head, "Let's go party." The three of them made their way into the house. Autumn could barely see through the crowded room and mixed colored lights. Everyone was either dancing, drinking, making out, or roaming around. "Go get us a drink," Ashley told Autumn pointing to the kitchen. "Seriously?" Ashley knew Autumn didn't drink but she made him fetch those drinks. Autumn pushed through the crowd into the kitchen. A whole table was filled with bottles and cups. He turned around searching for Ashley but couldn't find her. "I don't know what I'm doing." He whispered not knowing what wine to pour them. Xavier spotted him confusingly smelling the alcohol. "You not supposed to smell them. It's more for drinking." Xavier took the bottle out of Autumn's hand and placed it down on the table. "It's not for me it's for my sister and her boyfriend. Who is unable to get their own alcohol." Autumn moves away when he felt Xavier being way too close to him. "Did I do something wrong? You keep avoiding and running away from me." Xavier took two cups and poured some vodka in it with two ice cubes for each cup. "You did nothing wrong. I just feel uncomfortable around you." Autumn watched as he gently stirs the cup with his hand. "Good uncomfortable or just bad vibes uncomfortable." Xavier gave Autumn the cups and wiped his hands on his jean. "Bad vibes uncomfortable." Autumn lied. Xavier smiled and shook his head, "Let me know when you're honest with yourself." Xavier shoulder pushed past Autumn and head up the stairs. He spotted Zia running afterwards him.

Autumn went on and searched for Ashley. He pushed and pushed through crowds and crowds but couldn't find them. Autumn took out his phone and called her. "Pick up your phone. Where are you?" he left a voice message. Autumn stood outside, didn't find her, and decided to go upstairs. The stairs were filled with drunk teenagers making out and confiding in each other. The upstairs floor had a hall of rooms, he didn't know where to begin looking. Autumn pulled out his phone and searched for Jacobs's number. He stole it off of Ashley's phone after she ran off with him and they couldn't reach her. "There you are." He said and dialed the number. The phone rang and rang but he couldn't hear it. He quickly dashed down the hall and heard the phone ringing in a room he stood in front of. He couldn't hear the people anymore nor music. Just dead silence with rambling coming from the room. Autumn carefully turned the doorknob and opened the door. "What the fuck!" Jacob yelled pulling a knife out of Zia who was bleeding out on the floor. Ashley pulled Autumn into the room, slamming the door close. "Who left the fucking door unlocked?" Autumn heard Xavier ask. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" Ashley pinned Autumn against the wall. He didn't answer her. He kept watching blood flowing out of Zia's body. "I know her. I met her yesterday. Wh-Why is he killing her. Wh-Why did he kill her." Autumn began to panic, hyperventilating. Ashley smacked him across the face, "You don't tell anyone what you see her. Do you understand me, Autumn?" Autumn watched as Jacob and Xavier panic. "Do you understand me?!" She yelled. Autumn shook his head trying to control his breathing. "They not gonna like this Ash. He interrupted everything." Jacob said pointing the blood knife at Autumn. "This party was supposed to be a distraction. Keeping everyone away from what we were doing and at the same time claim the ones they told us too. Your fucking brother most probably just cost us our lives." Xavier stated. Ashley yelled at them to shut up and that she got everything under control. Autumn shut his eyes when Zia's lips turned blue. Praying for it to be a lie. Zia awoke coughing up blood. "Oh my god, she's awake. He didn't kill her. He didn't kill her." Autumn fearfully shouted out. "They claimed her," Xavier said helping her up. "That was something else," Zia said wiping the blood off her face. She saw Autumn and smile. "I know him. He walked me to class earlier this week." Autumn couldn't comprehend what was happening and why it was happening. "I need you to listen to me," Ashley said but Jacob pushed her out of the way.

"I'm sorry babes but he has seen too much." Jacob kept the knife against Autumn's neck as blood dripped off it. "Dude calm down you don't need to do this. I'm sure there is another way." Xavier suggested. Ashley tried to help Autumn but Jacob threaten her he'll kill Autumn if she comes near them. "You can't kill him. He won't wake up. He didn't ask for any of this." Zia could see Autumn fearing for his life. Crying out for help. "I don't care. He saw way too much and we can't leave it like that." Jacob pushed the knife deeper against Autumn's throat. "You can't do this. He's my brother. You said you'll leave him out of this. You promised Jacob." Ashley cried. Jacob hesitated for a moment as Ashley beg him not to take Autumn's life. "So you got her into some shit right. That's why you holding a knife to my neck. You're afraid they'll punish her." Autumn didn't know what he was saying. "Shut the fuck up or I'll slit your throat." Jacob threatened him. Zia and Xavier didn't make a move. They couldn't because Jacob got way more serious than he was before. "If you don't want him to die you'll ask them to claim him. Make him one of us and he doesn't have to die." Jacob suggested. Ashley fought against the idea and so did the others. "Just fucking do it!" Jacob shouted, stabbed Autumn in his right leg. Ashley yelled at Jacob as Autumn screamed of pain. "Just do it." He ripped the knife out of Autumn's leg as they began to chant. Zia didn't know how but she was able to understand the language and joined them. Autumn fell onto the ground screaming in agony. They stopped chanting. There was complete silence in the room. Ashley nodded yes at Jacob and he stared down at Autumn. "Guess you have to live leaves." He whispered. "Too bad I don't want you to." Jacob swung up his knife and stabbed Autumn right into his heart. Autumn felt the pressure in his chest and throat as blood came gushing out of his mouth. He fell and saw Ashley cry, Xavier, running to attack Jacob and Zia trying to comfort his sister. He could see but didn't hear anything. He felt death consuming him and then just, total darkness.